


guess i'm a little nervous

by sunkissedcrow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, SemiShira Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 02:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7295500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkissedcrow/pseuds/sunkissedcrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't like he didn't want to be captain. It wasn't even like he never thought about being captain, it just felt too sudden. Assuming they would win tomorrow and continue onto Nationals, nobody had to worry about being the next captain until at least December.</p><p>It was the day before Spring High Finals, and Shirabu was trying to keep a cool head.</p><p>Luckily for him, one of his senpai decided to give his two cents on the matter as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	guess i'm a little nervous

**Author's Note:**

> this one is more Shirabu-centric…and also a bit of stretch from the prompt…  
> (Written for SemiShira Week 2016, Day 6: Fears)

Shirabu didn’t quite understand the reasoning, but apparently Ushijima thought the day before Spring High Finals was a good time to tell him about his nomination for next year’s captain.

He supposed it was because Ushijima rarely let anything affect his inhumanly consistent high performance, and therefore assumed it to be true for everyone.

He walked to Shirabu as the latter was taking a break, sipping on his bottle of water while observing other spikers practice.

“Shirabu, Tendou thought I should inform you," he began, "I have nominated you to be next year’s captain."

Shirabu almost dropped the ball in his hand. “Sorry?”

Ushijima looked slightly confused. “Why are you apologizing?"

Shirabu made a frustrated sound at the back of his throat. “No, that’s not—you’re choosing me?"

“It’s a logical choice, you’re a second year, you’re a regular player, your teammates respect you, you have experience,” Ushijima said, listing off each of the items as facts and evidence.

Shirabu blinked. “…Thank you, senpai,” he said uncertainly. He didn’t really know what else to say so when Ushijima nodded at him he nodded back. His captain left and Shirabu let out a sigh of relief, a breath he didn’t know he was holding until his chest collapsed forward, knocking against the volleyball he was holding. 

“You okay?” Kawanishi appeared at his side, his expression as neutral as always.

"...Ushijima-senpai said he was nominating me for next year's captain," Shirabu said slowly.

Kawanishi hummed. "Makes sense," he commented.

"It does?" Shirabu asked with a frown. Technically the coach selected the next captain, but whoever the current captain nominated usually ended up being the chosen one anyway.

Kawanishi nodded, taking a sip from his water bottle as well, but didn't eleborate.

Shirabu turned back to the volleyball in his hands, looking over its dirtied, well worn surface.

It wasn't like he didn't want to be captain. It wasn't even like he never thought about being captain, it just felt too sudden. Assuming they would win tomorrow and continue onto Nationals, nobody had to worry about being the next captain until at least December.

It was the day before Spring High Finals, and Shirabu was trying to keep a cool head.

New fears he didn't know existed rose from the bottom of his stomach. He felt there were already strange eyes watching him with expectations, like when a particularly strong blocker followed every move his body made.

"Shirabu! Let's work on spikes now!"

Shirabu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He put down his water bottle and worries, and went back to practice.

 

//

 

He didn’t like to admit it, but his plan to keep a clear mind the night before a big game was failing.

The rest of practice went fine; he had enough on his plate to be distracted from the captain-ing matter, but after practice, he was still pondering over Ushijima’s words. He buttoned his uniform shirt absentmindedly, eyes at the locker in front of him instead of where his fingers were.

He didn't realize Semi and him were the only ones left in the club room until the older boy spoke.

“Knowing Wakatoshi,” Semi sighed next to him, and Shirabu’s shoulders hitched in surprise, his hands stopping for a moment before resuming their actions. “He probably told you he’s nominating you like he was spiking a ball right?”

That was one way to put it: Ushijima got the job done. Shirabu shrugged. “That’s him,” he said.

Semi let out a laugh, lips stretching into a smile easily. He looked at Shirabu in that way again, that way that made Shirabu unsure of what to do next. “Hm, and what do you think? Will you accept?” he asked.

Shirabu glanced away from him, wrapping the Shiratorizawa uniform tie around his neck. “I have time to think about it,” he said instead. He sort of hoped Semi would drop it, but his senpai cared too much.

“You can talk to me about it,” Semi offered.

“Sounds like you have something to say instead,” Shirabu retorted quickly.

Semi laughed again. “So difficult all the time,” he said, “but not wrong."

“I’m not difficult,” Shirabu muttered, scrunching the triangular knot of his tie upwards.

“You are, but that’s you, so it's okay,” Semi said with a wave of his hand and Shirabu swallowed, “You don’t have to hear me out, but I thought I’d try to say something anyway."

 As you always do, Shirabu thought, but not with annoyance. Semi and him didn’t always see eye to eye, especially when it came to tossing and strategizing in a game, but. Semi cared about people.

 “…Okay, I’ll bite,” Shirabu said.

The corner of Semi’s lip curled up, and in a similar manner to Ushijima before, he looked straight into Shirabu’s eyes. “You’ll make a good captain,” he said.

It was so sincere Shirabu glanced away for a moment, before looking back up at Semi again.

“You will,” Semi said, a bit softer this time. “Hey, you’re not…actually doubting yourself, are you?"

 Shirabu hesitated. If something like this happened a year ago he wouldn’t even consider talking to Semi about anything. In his first year, they barely discussed anything beyond signals and combinations on court. Semi was a good senpai, he showed Shirabu the ropes of tossing for Ushijima and tossing for Shiratorizawa in general, even if his tossing style slowly contradicted everything he preached.

It was the competition that set a dagger between the two of them.

So Shirabu took a chance. “I’m not really a leader,” he said, his voice reflecting more genuine honesty than he liked. 

Semi snorted. "You're the most ambitious little shit I know." Shirabu's lips twitched in a smug smile. "You’re a good strategist, you have good game sense, that’s what a captain needs,” Semi said. When Shirabu said nothing in return but glance downwards thoughtfully, Semi must have picked up that he was still unconvinced, because then he added, “You uphold Shiratorizawa’s playing style."

The statement fell between the two of them, stiffly down to the squeaky clean floor of volleyball club room. The October breeze whirled out in the space between them, and Shirabu became too aware of the lingering sweat sitting on his skin.

The unspoken was that Semi, in comparison, did not uphold Shiratorizawa’s style. Not as much as Shirabu did anyway.

Semi looked away, averting his gaze to a poster of JUMP that Tendou put up earlier this year. “I can’t believe you’re fishing for compliments from me of all people."

Shirabu could feel his cheeks starting to warm, so he quickly shrugged on his school blazer to distract himself. “I’m not fishing when you offered, Semi-senpai,” he retorted.

Semi snorted. “Fine, fine, I gave my kouhai setter a free pass this time,” he said, reaching over to ruffle Shirabu’s neat hair. He knew how Shirabu felt about his bangs, so he only messed up the right side of his hair. “Do your best tomorrow."

Shirabu ducked out of Semi’s grasp. He smoothed over his hair before grabbing his bag from his locker. “Thanks.”

He made it to the door of the club room before he paused, turning back to look at Semi, who was in the middle of ducking his head through the strap of his cross-body bag. 

Something warm curdling at the base of his neck made him open his mouth. He didn't want the conversation to end like this.

“You too, senpai. Do your best."

 Semi looked astonished for a split second, like he didn’t expect Shirabu to be _nice_ in return for once. Then his expression melted into a determined smirk.

"Thank you." Shirabu nodded. He turned again to leave. "Hey you're headed to the bus station right?" Semi called behind him.

"Yes." He lingered in the doorway, watching Semi walk over to him.

"I'll walk you," Semi offered.

A fluttering in Shirabu's chest. He squashed it down. "No need, senpai, it's a bit of a walk," he answered. He saw Semi make a face, ready to protest so he quickly added, "You might miss curfew at the dorms."

 "Do I look like the type to really care about that?" Semi asked in return, pointing to the dyed tips of his hair.

They both knew Semi wasn't as much of a delinquent than he was implying, and shared a rare smile; Semi, his feign unamused look breaking into a playful grin, and Shirabu, his lips curling over his teeth as he attempted to hold back a smile.

He looked away first. "Goodnight, Semi-san."

Semi looked down, then back up at him. "Good night, Shirabu," he said softly.

He felt Semi's eyes on his back as he made his way out of the club room and into the night. The thought of next year without Semi, Ushijima, Tendou and Reon was a daunting one. He tried to picture himself, as he walked with the moon freshly risen over his back, with a number one on his chest. A horizontal line drawn across his stomach, paralleling the steady base of his new number.

He looked out the window of his bus, allowed a gentle smile that no one could see to play on his lips.

Shirabu went home with the clear mind he wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!! I have one more short-ish SemiShira piece for tomorrow, the last day of [SemiShira week](semishiraweek.tumblr.com), which could be sort of read in succession to this one! as always, my tumblr is [here](sunkissedcrow.tumblr.com)!


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